Pseudo-Eschatology as False Teleology: An Analytic Critique of Capitalism as Functional Religion

Abstract

This paper advances a twofold thesis. First, capitalism satisfies the Durkheimian criteria of a functional religion by performing integrative, normative, and symbolic roles. Second, it does so in a distorted way, producing what we call a pseudo-eschatology and a false teleology. Analytically, our argument proceeds in three steps. (1) We define functional religion as a system that integrates communities through shared norms and symbols, and we show that capitalism meets these criteria. (2) We introduce the notion of pseudoreligion: a structure that imitates religious form while redirecting transcendence into immanence. (3) We demonstrate, through a premise–conclusion argument, that capitalism cannot fulfill authentic eschatological orientation because finite goods are structurally incapable of satisfying infinite desire. The originality of this paper lies in its precise articulation of pseudo-eschatology as false teleology: a conceptual innovation that bridges sociology of religion, phenomenology, and philosophical theology. We conclude that capitalism should be interpreted not merely as an economic order but as a rival soteriological framework, whose promises must be evaluated in terms of philosophical anthropology and theological eschatology.